Teff means ‘lost’, so called because of its tiny 1-millimetre diameter grain. Yet about a kilo of grains is enough to sow a 1-hectare field – about 100 times less seed than is needed for wheat – and it cooks quickly. This lovegrass thrives in a vast variety of environments – from sea level to high altitudes, from dry to waterlogged land – and is also resistant to disease. Thought to have been first domesticated in Ethiopia 6,000 years ago, teff is made into a spongy flat bread, injera, used as an edible plate in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Today, its fame is spreading because of its nutrient value: it is almost as high in protein as quinoa, contains the highest calcium of all grains and also provides Vitamin C. Today, teff is being cultivated in Australia, Canada, India and the USA, where it is used in breads, pancakes and other products, and its potential for other parts of the world is being investigated.

Healthy people in a healthy environment

Good health and well-being require a clean and harmonious environment where physical, psycho - logical, social and aesthetic factors are all given their due importance. These factors are affected by actions and choices which can secure considerable health benefits. The environment is thus not only important for its own sake, but as a resource for better living conditions and well-being.

What we’ve agreed: the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Millennium Development Goals

Green savings

What young people want

Water – the key to life

The air we breathe

Safer, quieter towns and cities of the future – reclaiming the streets